Friday, July 4, 2014

Happy Fourth of July & Spiced Mango Crisp

Happy Fourth of July, friends!

Although I've never been a huge fan of this holiday--probably because I was always in France as a kid and was MUCH more excited for Bastille Day on July 14--this year should be fun! Christian and I are spending the weekend with a group of American friends in Saly, a very popular beach town about two hours outside of Dakar. The plan is to grill, lie by the pool, and swim in the ocean. I actually don't know several of the people we will be going with, so it will be a good opportunity to make new friends! ;)

To celebrate the fourth, I just made two more Spiced Mango Crisps (a dessert I invented earlier this week ;) so I thought I'd quickly share the recipe before I rush off for a long weekend by the pool! My version is based on my mom's favorite recipe for Apple Crisp, from The Silver Palate Cookbook. I decided to rework the simple recipe as I was too lazy to make a crust or trek to the store for baking goods... this dessert is SUPER easy and delicious. This slightly spicy mango version almost reminds me of peach cobbler with a tangy, fiery kick. I am not a huge fan of overly sweet desserts, so the sweet and sour and spicy combination really appeals to my tastebuds.... hope you ENJOY!

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (I skip this step in Senegal.) Grease an oven-safe dish and pour in the mango pieces, one or two layers.
2. Drizzle the lime juice evenly over the mango, mixing gently to coat. Sprinkle a few dashes of paprika and/or cayenne pepper, amount depending on your love for spice ;)
3. Process {in my kitchen: mix with fork} flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in food processor fitted with steel blade until just mixed. Add butter, pulsing, until the mixture resembles course meal. Again, I just used my hand to mix the butter and dry mixture, kneading until it has a "crumbly" (course meal) texture. Works perfectly fine!
4. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the mangoes, making sure the edges are sealed.
5. Bake until top is golden and mangoes are tender, about an hour. Given my finicky oven, I just check frequently to make sure nothing is burning. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

*Image from a similar recipe for Mango Pineapple Crisp, that also sounds delicious. I like her suggestion to add ginger - I will have to give it a try next time. My crisp looks very similar and I forgot to snap a picture!